MD Weather: Frost Advisory Issued For Monday Morning

MARYLAND — As temperatures drop overnight, the National Weather Service issued a freeze watch and a hazardous weather statement for parts of Maryland.

The frost advisory is in effect from midnight until 9 a.m. Monday as overnight lows drop to about 33 degrees. The week will start off cool and rainy before 70s return at the start of the weekend.

"Low temperatures are expected to be below normal tonight," the weather service said. "We have a Frost Advisory and Freeze Warning in effect beginning tonight at midnight through 9 a.m. Monday morning."

During the freeze watch period — which takes effect late Sunday night and runs through Monday morning — temperatures may drop as low as 3e degrees, according to forecasters.

Two things may be at risk during the freeze watch, officials said: plants and pipes.

Frost and freeze conditions may kill crops and other sensitive vegetation, so authorities advised bringing tender plants inside or covering them to protect them from the cold.

Outdoor plumbing may burst, so people should wrap, drain or drip slowly any water pipes outside, officials said.

The freeze watch is in effect from midnight to 9 a.m. on Monday, April 18, for these counties: Cecil, Baltimore, Montgomery, Howard, Harford. A freeze warning is in place for Westminster and Hagerstown.

Towns included in the watch include Elkton, Baltimore, Germantown, Damascus, Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, Columbia, Ellicott City and Aberdeen.

The hazardous weather outlook is for the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay, Tidal Potomac River, and I-95 corridor through central Maryland, northern Virginia, and District of Columbia.

Areas included are parts of Cecil, Baltimore, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Charles, St. Marys, Calvert, Montgomery, Howard and Harford counties.

Here's the forecast for the week ahead:

Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Areas of frost after midnight. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Monday: Rain likely in the morning, then rain in the afternoon. Patchy fog in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 40s. East winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

Monday Night: Patchy fog in the evening. Rain. Lows in the upper 30s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph, becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 50s. West winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 30s. West winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny. Highs around 60.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 40s.

Thursday: Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 50s.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 70s.